norelius



E. F. NORELIUS.

GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLiCATION HLED NOV. 12. 1917.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

WITNESSES:

{N V ENTOR 17m z Z mre/z'us m aw, M

E. F N'ORELIUS GUN CARRIAGE. APFL| CATION men NOV. 12. 1917. 1,327,603 Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

Fig.2.

' 2m 50 Z9 Z7 ATTORNEYS flexible, self-laying track made up wi a' EMIL F, NORELIUS. 0F PEORIA. ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HOLT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

GUN- CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 192i).

Application filed November 12, 1917. Serial No. 201,581.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, E3211. F. N onsmos, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gun-Carriages, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to carriages for large guns of the howitzer type. For this purpose I employ a truck mechanism of the self-laying track type which, on accttunt of its large ground-engaging surface, is capable of sustaining a heavier load on soft ground than any other form of truck mechanism.

Chief among the objects of my invention is to provide means for taking;- the firing strains off of the truck rollers and track rails; and also to provide means to retard the movement of the truck mechanism as a whole, due to the recoil of the gun.

One form which my invention may assume is eXeInplificd in the following descrip tion and illustrated in the aieompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side clevationof a device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line 4.ai of Fig. 1.

In the form here shown, I provide a base A for a gun B, the gun being mounted in any approved way upon the base to vary its range and traverse and having suitable recoil mechanism C. The gun base is supported upon a pair of roller truck frames, one at each side, through the agency of an aXle D. A trail E, integral with the gun base, projects rearwardly to engage the ground and form a third point of support when the gun is in use and also to provide a draw bar for the carriage mechanism.

Each roller truck frame includes a pair of spaced side bars 10 and 11, preferably in the form of a channel beam, betweengwhich are journaled, on spindles 12, a series of flanged rollers 13. At opposite'ends of the truck frames are front and rear sprocket wheels 14 and 15, respectively, and passing around said sprocket wheels is an eiidless,

of a sethe side ries of articulated link sections 16,

.able bearings 19 and, has an adjustable thrust bar 20 connecting it with the truck frame,- whereby the sprioket wheel may be shifted back and ftrth to' produce or reduce slack in the chain. The truck members, it will be seen, are free to rock about the axle D and when the carriage is drawn along, the tracks will ride over irregularities on the surface of the ground without imparting undue shocks to the gun mechanism.

Since the carriage is intended for large guns of the howitzer type, it is important to relieve the truck rollers, and track rails of thc severe strains due to the firing of the gun. This I accomplish by arranging a. downwardly extending angle bar 21 on each side bar of each truck-frame, said bar 21 be iug inclined at its lower edge rearwardly and upwardly. To each of these bars 21 I fix a rod 29 in bearings 23 at the lower outer portion thereof. said rod being also inclined in the same direction as the lower edge of the bar 91.

lidably connected to each rod 22, by means of loops 2%. is a wedge-shaped plate 25 having its upper edge engaging theiower edge of the bar 21 and its bottom edge provided with a flange 26 to cooperate with a flanged rail 27 fixed on the projecting side of the underlying shoes or grouscrs. The wedge plate when advanced will have the effect of raising the truck frame from the track so as to relieve all strains from the rollers and track rails.

lVhcn the gun carriage is to be transport ed the wedge plates are retracted and move upwardly on the rods 22 to permit the truck rollers to again engage the track rails. Any one of a variety of mechanisms can be used for moving the wedge plates back and forth,-

and I show in the present instance a screw Turning of the nut, by means of a wrench or otherwise, causes the plate to be moved longitudinally.

Owing to the employment of a self-layin track type of mechanism i am enable effectively to retard the movement of the carriage as a whole, due to the recoil of the gun, simpl by braking one of the sprocket wheels at each side. i show in connection with each of the front ocket wheels :1

ln'alre shoe 32 at each sit thereof to cowith an annular range on the Each shoe is carried on one'arm of I anlr lever 34, pivoted e035 to the truck name and having its other end projecting rearwardly and fitted with'a screw- I threaded sleeve 86 pivoted thereon. A screw shaft 37 passes through the sleevcs'of the two adjacent bell cranks and is equipped with a crank 38 for moving the outer ends of the bell-cranks apart, whereby to set the brake shoes against the sprocket wheel. Since the sprocket wheels engage teeth on the track the braking of the wheels prevents movement of the truck frame relatively to the track, and inasmuch as the tracks will not slide readily it will be seen that a very effective retardation of the carriage mechanism in a fore and aft direction is provided. Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters PateIit is l. A gun carriage comprising a rollercarrymg truck frame, an endless, flexible,

3= self-laying track, on the ground stretch of which the rollers operate, and means carried by the truck frame and resting upon the ground stretch of the track to raise said frame relatively to the track to relieve the 1 rollers of the strains of gun fire.

2. A gun carriage comprising a truck frame fitted with rollers, an endless, flexible,

self-laying track, upon the ground stretch of I which the rollers operate, ground-engaging 5 shoes carried by the track and projecting laterally at each side thereof, and means interposed between the track shoes. at the bottom run thereof and the truck frame for raising the latter to relieve the strains of gunfire from the rollers and track.

-3. A gun carriage comprising a truck frame fitted with rollers, an'endless, flexible, self-laying track, upon the ground stretch of which the rollers operate, ground-engaging shoes carried by the track and projecting laterally at each side thereof, and means interposed between the track shoes at the bottom run thereof and the truck frame for raising the latter to relieve the strains of gun fire from tne rollers and track, said means comprising a wedge-shaped block engaging the truck frame and the shoes and movable longitudinally relatively thereto.

4. A gui1carriage comprising a truck frame fitted )with rollers, an endless, flexmemos ible, self-laying track, upon the ground stretch of which the rollers operate, groundengaging shoes carried by the track "and projecting laterally at each side thereof, means interposed between the track shoes at the bottom run thereof and the truck frame for raising the latter to relieve the.

strains of gun fire from the rollers and track,

said means comprising a wedge-shaped block, engaging the truck frame and the shoes and movable longitudinally relatively thereto, and a screw feeding device for operating said wedge block. Y

5. A gun carriage comprising a truck "rame fitted with rollers, an endless, flexible, self-laying track, upon-the ground run of which the rollers operate, ground-engag ing shoes carried by the track and project ing laterally at each side thereof, a bar de ending from the truclr frame at each side as thereof and havingan inclined lower edge, I a wedge plate carried slidably thereby for longitudinal movement and engaging the inclined edge of the bar, rail members on the projecting bars of the track shoes with which the lower edge of the wedge plate is adapted tb coiiperate, and means for moving the wedge plate longitudinally of the track to raise the truck frame relatively to the track.

6. In an endless, self-laying track vehicle, the combination of a truck frame pro-- vided with truck rollers, an endless, self-7 laying track enveloping the truck and upon which the truck rollers run, and a jack car" riedby the truck frame for elevating the truck frame from the track.

7. In an endless, self-laying track vehicle, the combination of a truck frame provide with truck rollers, an endless, self-laying track enveloping the truck and upon which the truck rollers run, and a jack carried by the truck frame for elevating the truck frame from the track, said jack including a traveling wedge and cooperative surfacesllo on the track and truck frame.

8. A. gun carriage comprising a roller carrying truck frame, an endless, flexible, self-laying track on the ground run of which the rollers operate, ground engaging shoes carried by the track and'projectmg laterally at each side thereof, and'means carried by the truck frame todock the ground run of shoes to the.truck frame and to raise said frame relatively to the track, whereby movement of the gun carriage due to the recoil of the gun is prevented and the track and rollers are reliey ed of the strainsofgunfira' 4 9. A gun carriage comprising a roller carrying truck frame, an endless, flexible. self-laymgtrackupon the ground run of which the rollersoperate, ground engageingsho'gs carried by-the track and pro ecting laterallyaat;. echflslde thereof, sprocket Wheels EXP/G11 which izhe tra s}: is carrieci 3% brakemechanism carried by the truck". for one of said sprocket Wheeis for fiucking said Wheel to the truck frame and carried by the truck fzrzune to 106k 31% ground run of shoes to the truck izwm ie 22115. to raise said frame relatively in the whereby movementof 511 3 gun carriage i ne to the recoil of the gun is preventeafi (1216. In track and rollers are relieved 0'. .1 of gun fire.

10. In an endlgss, seif-layin hicle, ill c combination 0f pmvided flexible, 5

' scribing W :11,

erata, grnund trad: rails and side theresf, u frams 0n the g shoes mils and re"; and mllers r gun fire.

In t'es fiber-202E 1 have hereunto my hanci ixg bhe girasence of two sub- KGB/51L F. NORELIUS.

, A shoes carried by the fixing laterally at sash *s for suppsrting said an of the gmund enzldezltly of tin: track hereby said track rails lewd; of the strains of 

